Satellites fail to reach final

The Black Satellites’ attempt  to win the Africa Youth Championship for the fourth time crashed yesterday when they stumbled to a 0-2 defeat by Nigeria’s Flying Eagles in their semi-final clash at the Leopold Sedar Senghor Stadium in Dakar, Senegal.

A goal in each half from Obinna Nwobodo and Musa Muhammed respectively ensured the Eagles confirmed their place in the final of the 19th edition of the championship. 

The Eagles had been in devastating form en route to the semi-finals, but yesterday the six-time champions met their toughest opponent yet as the Satellites took control of the game from the onset.

For the first time in the competition, the Eagles were exposed and were found wanting as the Ghanaians did not allow them to play their game. By the quarter-hour mark, the Nigerians had yet to find their rhythm.

Ghana’s midfielder Yaw Yeboah and lanky forward Benjamin Tetteh gave the Nigerian defence so much to worry about, but it was the diminutive Yeboah who remained their biggest threat.

In the 10th minute, Nigeria goalie Joshua Enaholo, by far the busier of the two shot stoppers on the field, was forced to palm away Yeboah’s shot from a free-kick at the edge of the penalty area.

The Ghanaians remained in control of the game, but it was the Nigerians who broke the deadlock from a rare chance from a corner kick in the 22nd minute. Ifeanyi Matthew laid a cross that met the head of Obinna Nwobodo and the ball hit the post before rolling into the net for the opener.

The Nigerians were  to coil into their shells again as the Ghanaians ran at them, with Clifford Aboagye, Yeboah and Tetteh leading the onslaughts. On the half-hour mark, a three-man move by the Satellites saw Aboagye square the ball to Tetteh, who in turn laid a pass to Yeboah who fired a shot that flew across the face of goal to the relief of the Eagles.

The same partnership would lead to yet another chance three minutes later, with Tetteh at the receiving end of an Aboagye pass, but his shot missed target narrowly.

Goalkeeper Enaholo came to the Nigerians’ rescue in the 39th minute saving Aboagye’s goal-bound shot, after Tetteh had headed his way inside the Nigerians penalty area.

Just before the break, Ifeanyi was unlucky to see his curly free-kick miss target by inches as his team went into recess with a narrow lead.

The Satellites returned from recess playing with the same tempo and maintaining sustained raids that kept the Nigerian defence boiling, with Aboagye, Yeboah and Tetteh all having shots at goal.

After failing to make their dominance count, the Nigerians in yet another counter  saw Patrick Asmah fell Ifeanyi for a penalty in the 70th minute.

Captain Musa Muhammed converted nicely past Ghana goalie Michael Sai to cushion the lead.

The Satellites will have to wait to know their opponents in Saturday’s third-place match as they play the loser of this evening’s semi-final between Mali and Senegal.